


Imperfect Perfection

by shockandlock



Category: One Piece
Genre: Ace gets to be a nanny, Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Marco and Sabo are married, Multi, One Night Stands, Parenthood, Reunions, eventual polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-19 09:26:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13701645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shockandlock/pseuds/shockandlock
Summary: Portgas D. Ace vanished nine months after Sabo and Marco Newgate got married. There was too much guilt and pain behind in Raftel, but letters and video calls just aren’t enough for his family anymore. It must be all some sort of joke though. Sabo and Marco want him to move in with them? And to help take care of their daughter no less. The gods must be laughing down on him right now.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So this is really the first time that I've actually written MAS since I'm used to just writing just MarcoAce (it's my favorite after all), but the lovely beans on the MAS server are really inspiring and this was just seemed like it would be more interesting from a poly point of view instead of just a couple (more angst potential). Anyways please leave a comment and let me know what you think!
> 
> Based on the prompt: Person A was separated from their biological child. Several years later, they start dating Person B, and are delighted by B’s adopted child. What A doesn’t realize is that B’s child is the child that A was separated from in the first place.
> 
> Enjoy!

_ “Are you sure you don’t need any help?”  _

Ace shifted his phone to his other ear as he adjusted his backpack strap on his arm. “Yeah I’m fine, Sabo. I don’t have much.” Just a backpack and a suitcase full of clothes- he had sold almost everything else five years ago. 

_ “If you say so. I’m really glad you’re coming home.” _

Ace closed his eyes and grit his teeth. He could practically see Sabo’s gentle smile in his mind.  _ ‘Home? Yeah right.’ _

“Thanks, Sabo. Marco’s coming to pick me up, right?”

_ “He’s already waiting for you at the station.” _

Of course he was. Marco was always prepared and punctual. Skills Ace lacked. “Alright. See you soon.”

_ “Have a safe trip!”  _ Ace sighed after he hung up. He liked talking to Sabo, but right now it was just exhausting. 

Ace was traveling again, something that he had gotten very used to, but this time he was here to stay. He hadn’t returned to Raftel- home he supposed- ever since he left. The thought of having to face everyone made his stomach swim and his head pound, and he was already tired from the travel. They all supported his return with the entire Newgate family already planning a party, but none of them were more supportive than Marco and Sabo.

_ “Come live with us, Ace!”  _ Sabo had suggested during their last call together. Maybe Ace shouldn’t have mused his return to them. He should have known they would start helping as soon as he mentioned needing a job (despite his inheritance money, he wasn’t some sort of lazy slob) and a place to stay.

_ “Are you sure? You’re still adjusting with the kid and all.” _

_ “There’s plenty of room,”  _ Marco said.  _ “And besides you wouldn’t be doing it for nothing. If you can help babysit while you’re looking for work then we’ll call it even.”  _

Him? A babysitter? The idea was ridiculous. Why would he do it? He couldn’t raise a kid- something he had come to terms with a long time ago- and besides. Living with such a lovey-dovey couple made his chest hurt.

Yet here he was, moving into 37773 Sunshine Street. Of course they would live on such a perfectly, perfect street with a perfectly, perfect address. They probably had a white-picket fence too.  

**“Now Arriving at East Bluevale Station.”**

He grabbed his suitcase, strolling up to the train doors as it slowed to a stop. No one else got up with him. East Bluevale wasn’t a popular station. Too far from the center of the city. Too small, but Ace knew that if he arrived in Central, then he wouldn’t have been able to stop the whole family from coming.

It was quiet as he stepped off save for the rumbling of the train and the low hum of the vending machines. Lonely. He was used to it. The parking lot was sparse as well, and even though Sabo had helpfully informed him that Marco was arriving in a new minivan (perfect for kids), it was easy enough to spot it with Marco standing in front.

“Ace!” Ace could practically see how Marco’s mood changed with the way he smiled that familiar smile that Ace hadn’t seen in so long.

He had hardly moved, but suddenly, Marco was running up to him. Warm arms enveloped his body, but Ace found himself unable to resist the embrace. Marco was too warm, always too warm, and so his hand left the handle of his suitcase to hug him back.

“Sabo and I missed you,” Marco said, words a mere whisper. He pulled back, so Ace could finally see him up close. He hadn’t changed much: same stubble, same pretty, droopy eyes.

“Well it’s been a long time,” Ace said. “I- uh- Well…. You better have all missed me!” He smiled trying to make this reunion more light-hearted. Reunions were supposed to be happy events, right?

Thankfully, it seemed to work. Marco patted his back, leading him towards the car. “Absolutely. Thatch and Haruta kept whining about how you never called enough- which they were right, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah! But hey, now I have a bunch of interesting stories to tell everyone.”

“If you say so, yoi,” Marco said, clearly skeptic of Ace’s words, but Ace didn’t have the heart to defend his reasoning. “Just relax now, Mr. Adventurer-”

“Is that nickname really necessary?”

“-I can’t wait for you to see the new house.”

New house, new car, new kid. It seemed like everything was new, except Marco and Sabo. They were still the same, or maybe that’s just what Ace wanted to believe.

The car was spacious. They only had one daughter for now, but Ace didn’t doubt that the two of them wanted to grow their family. Maybe he was the first step to that. Maybe they felt like they needed to reign him in from running away from everyone.   

Marco frowned at him before he could even buckle his seatbelt. “You don’t want to sit in front with me?”

“I wouldn’t want to impose.” Shotgun was Sabo’s seat just like in Marco’s old SUV. It was couple thing supposedly. Ace would always sit in the back as he watched the two laugh and talk and lean over for the occasional kiss. He made sure never to interrupt them (third-wheeling like a pro, he called it). 

But Marco opened the door and smiled for him, and as always, Ace couldn’t resist. “I insist. We have a lot to chat up on, yoi.”

Ace knew that he was just saying that to convince him. Marco knew that car rides made him sleepy. Head resting against the window, the same radio station on that they would always listen to together, Ace drifted off as his hometown passed around him.

He didn’t stir until the car began to slow on Sunshine Street. He was right. Their beautiful two-story home  _ was  _ surrounded with a white-picket fence, and the image was completed with Sabo standing in front and their daughter peeking out from behind him.

Ace yawned, looking over to Marco in the driver’s seat, who smiled at him.

“Welcome home, Ace.”

 


	2. first days back always seem surreal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to midnightluck for beta-reading!

Even though Sabo was wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants, he still looked stupidly happy and perfect with the way he was smiling and waving. Ace reminded himself to savor the image. It probably wouldn’t last very long with him around.

Before Ace could even get out of the car to greet Sabo, the little girl bolted back into the house. Sabo seemed to call after her, but soon he just sighed when she didn’t return.

“Sorry about that,” Marco said. “She’s pretty shy, and we’re still trying to get her to adjust.”

“No problem. We’ll uh- have plenty of time to get to know each other.” Thinking about basically being a nanny still didn’t sit right with Ace, but he couldn’t refuse now after coming all this way when Marco and Sabo went through all this trouble. He had always been causing them trouble before, so why would now be any different?

Marco had even already taken his bags for him. He could do that on his own.

Sabo was waiting for him when he climbed out of the car, and before Ace could stop him- not that he would have- Sabo hugged him just as Marco had when they were at the station. “I missed you so much, Ace.”

An “ _ I called, didn’t I?” _ danced on his lips, but he knew that excuses would only make Marco and Sabo scold him and Sabo’s arms were too comfortable for Ace to think about being scolded now. He was tempted to reach up and play with Sabo’s soft hair (he had started wearing a ponytail, which made Ace’s stomach flutter), but he didn’t want to overstep. He was doing that enough already.  

“Are you going to keep Ace all to yourself?” Marco asked, raising an eyebrow as he pulled Ace’s suitcase.

Sabo finally let go of Ace to turn towards his husband. “You already got your turn!” But protests turned to laughter when Marco darted forward to press a kiss to Sabo’s nose. Suddenly, the happy butterflies were flapping a tornado of nausea into Ace’s stomach instead.

He forgot about it when Sabo grabbed his hand. Ace looked up at him to see that both Sabo and Marco were smiling back at him, and for the first time in five years, Ace melted into calm. He grew up with Sabo and had known Marco for years; he knew when the two of them were truly happy, and something about seeing the two of them together made him think that he could ignore those voices that chased him away years ago.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, you know?” Sabo said, tugging him towards the door. 

“Sabo, let him get comfortable first.”

Silently, Ace thanked Marco. He knew Sabo would listen to him, at least, but he also knew that he wouldn’t be able to avoid the questions forever. Maybe he’d have his own place once they came up.

The foyer stretched up to the second-floor where a charming chandelier hung, reflecting sunlight onto the beige-white walls. The staircase curved up towards the second-floor hallway, where the little girl ran as Ace entered the home.

Ace couldn’t stop his frown. “I guess she doesn’t really like me all that much. Are you sure that you guys want me here?”

Suddenly, Marco’s hand was holding onto Ace’s free one. “We do, Ace. Just give her some time to adjust. It took her some time to even get used to us, but we didn’t give up.”

Give up? How could he even try when she kept running away from him?

“So this is your room, Ace. Sorry it’s not much.”

Bed, closet, desk; it was enough for him.  “I’m used to it.” It was more than what he got sometimes.

“We should go shopping tomorrow though. Get some more furniture,” Sabo suggested, looking towards the empty wall. “I want to make sure you feel at home, and we need more clutter to make this an ‘Ace’ room.” 

“Hey, I’m not  _ that  _ messy!”

Despite Ace’s protests, Sabo simply grinned. “I know, but I missed messing with you.”

Ace scowled, shoving at Sabo’s arm as Marco set his bags down next to the bed.

“You can borrow some of our extra hangers for now, but we can get some more if you need them,” Marco said. “You probably need some shelves and bed-sheets so we can stop using the ones from the guest room.”

Ace froze. “This isn’t the guest room?” He should have realized it as soon as they brought up furniture shopping. There’s no way they would have gone through that much trouble for a mere guest.

“You’re not just a guest, Ace. You’re family.”

It took some time, but after a tour of the house, Ace was eventually able to convince Marco and Sabo to give him some privacy to unpack (“You guys should check on your daughter!”). In reality, he laid down on the bed, watching the ceiling fan circle above. He didn’t realize it before, but now, his heartbeat was finally starting to calm down. 

“What did I get myself into?” he muttered, laying is forearm above his eyes. He had known that he had been running for far too long, but why had he decided to run back to exactly what he had run from?

He really was happy for them. The two of them were living out their dream life together, but Ace couldn’t help wondering why they wanted him around for it. He thought that leaving and giving them some space would help them realize, but it had done quite the opposite.

_ “Why did you leave?”  _ they had asked during every single call.  _ “Please come home to us.” _

And so he did. He caved because he was stupid, but now, he had to accept it. There was no turning away from decisions like this. Ace made a promise, and he didn’t go back on his word.

* * *

Ace didn’t emerge from his new room until he smelled dinner cooking downstairs. He passed through the kitchen first, the smell of his next meal irresistible. 

Ace would readily admit that a smiling Marco indeed looked good in an apron. He turned to Ace as he stirred the pot in front of him. “Making your favorite. Pizza soup.”

“Ma’s recipe?”

“Of course,” Marco said. “It was Sabo’s suggestion. We want to make your homecoming perfect.”

He was wonderful, too wonderful. If things were different, then maybe he would be hugging Marco from behind and helping him tie his apron, but he wasn’t Marco’s husband.

“Sabo’s waiting for you in the living room.”

“All right. The timer is almost done on the garlic bread, by the way.”

“Thanks, yoi.”

The sound of cartoons blared from the living room. He knew that Sabo wasn’t alone even before he entered to see the little girl sitting in Sabo’s lap, eyes glued to the TV.

“Oh, Ace. You’re up!” Sabo helped his daughter to the ground as he grabbed the remote to pause the cartoons, holding her hand so she wouldn’t dart away again. “C’mon, Marina. Don’t be shy!”

Marina. It was a pretty name, Ace decided. Marina’s freckled cheeks puffed up in a pout as she attempted to hide behind Sabo again, but Sabo beamed and brushed aside a stray lock of her caramel-colored hair to whisper something in her ear. Ace couldn’t hear what it was, but whatever it was made Marina stop her fidgeting. “This is your uncle Ace and he’s going help us take care of you, okay? He’s super-duper nice and fun and not scary, so you don’t have to run away from him.”   

Ace didn’t blame her for it, but even if he didn’t have a magical touch like Sabo (for some reason) thought, he knew he couldn’t start off on the wrong foot with her. He knelt down to her eye level and waved. “Hi, you’re Marina, right?” He smiled, hoping that he was putting enough energy into it. “Your dads have told me a lot about you.”

They had called to tell Ace as soon as they met her:  _ “I think we already met the one, Ace,”  _ Sabo had told him. 

_ “She’s a little shy, but she’s absolutely adorable and sweet,”  _ Marco had added, “ _ And she has freckles just like you _ .”

_ “She’s a little stubborn though, so we still need to convince her. We’ll keep you updated.” _

And they did. They called every single day after they visited her. Ace was tempted to ignore them quite a few times, but he endured their enthusiasm until he finally picked up the call to an excited yell.

“I- uh hope we can get along!” He reached his hand out awkwardly. Did you even shake hands with little kids? Was that a thing?

But she reached out and shook, tiny hand clasped in his.

“Dinner!” Marco called from the kitchen, and suddenly Ace was helping set out plates and utensils around a steaming pot of soup and a plate of garlic bread. 

Ace ate quietly as Marco and Sabo chatted. It wasn’t quite like his mother would have made it, but Marco’s cooking was still a delicious thing to come home to. Marina seemed to like it as well since she was already on seconds. 

He was already starting on thirds when he realized that the conversation had died down. “Ace?” His spoon froze halfway to his mouth as he looked up back at Marco and Sabo.

“Your….” They were looking at his neck. Of course they were. “What happened to your necklace, Ace?” Sabo asked.

Ace bit his lip, looking into his glass of water. He almost reached up to touch the empty space around his neck- a habit that he had long since dropped, though it had taken quite some time to drop it. He should have expected the questioning. He wore the necklace every day- or at least he used to- and it wasn’t just something that he would just lose. He wouldn’t ever lose a mother’s memento. 

“Would you believe me if I said I gave it to someone special?”

Marco and Sabo continued to stare for a few moments, and for a second, Ace thought he said the wrong thing (which wasn’t anything new in his life). 

Then Sabo beamed, but it was sudden and strange. He probably thought that Ace had been fooling around again with some meaningful one-night stand that didn’t really mean anything at all. “That’s great, Ace,” he said. “You’ll have to tell us about them sometime.”

Ace didn’t answer. He didn’t think he ever would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pizza soup is something that I cook with my family, and basically it's like a tomato based soup with ground beef and some vegetables. It's really good and I guess that means I'm craving it right now then.


	3. were saturdays always like this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace doesn't know how to feel. It should just be a normal weekend, but he still can't shake off what he's feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to have this out much sooner, but things got in the way. I want to start on the next chapter too, but I might write a few drabbles first, but we'll see.
> 
> Enjoy!

Ace groaned when he heard his alarm start to ring. Even though it was Saturday, he always set alarms when he knew that there was a long day ahead of him. Marco and Sabo had planned on leaving for the store at ten, which meant that Ace needed to be up by 9:30. When he tried telling them that he really didn’t need to buy anything, the two of them insisted.

_“Besides,”_ Sabo said _,_ patting Ace’s shoulder reassuringly _, “we’ve been meaning to get Marina some new clothes, and it would be nice if you could come along.”_

And so Ace agreed.

“Morning, Ace,” Marco greeted, sliding a plate with a stack of bacon, two sausages, and two sunny side up eggs in front of him. “Breakfast just like you like it.” Marco never forgot, Ace thought, and that made him smile as he dug in.

“Wh-Why can’t I have that much bacon, Papa?”

Hearing Marina speak was a little jarring, even though her words were hard to hear. She hadn’t said a word to Ace yesterday after all. Ace stared at her, fork halfway to his mouth.

“It’s not good for your tummy,” Marco said. He bent down to kiss her forehead. “You can have more bacon when you’re older.”

“I want more bacon now,” she whined quietly, but Marco had already returned to the stove to finish up Sabo’s breakfast. Marina continued to pout in her father’s direction until Ace slipped her a few of his extra strips.

She stared at Ace,and it looked like she was about to say something, but Ace pressed a finger to his lips with a smile. She closed her mouth, reaching for her newly acquired bacon instead, corners of her lips curling up slightly.

“How are my three favorite people today?” Sabo said, fingertips brushing through Ace’s hair as he walked to his spot at the table. Marina remained quiet as she continued to scarf down her bacon. Ace himself wasn’t quite sure how to respond. One of Sabo’s favorite people? Yeah right.

But Ace almost choked on his eggs when Sabo sat down and grinned at him. He hadn’t put his contacts in yet- Ace had almost forgotten that Sabo wore them- so he was wearing his thick bottom-rounded glasses.

“I think we’re all ready for a nice day out,” Marco said as he placed Sabo’s plate in front of him. Sabo smiled up at his husband, and Ace wanted to gag on his sausages.

“Papa and Dad are being mushy again,” Marina mumbled. Ace wasn’t quite sure if he was meant to hear it too, but he agreed with her.

The trip to the store went as expected, Marco and Sabo chatting excitedly about their plans for lunch later (“A new Japanese restaurant opened up recently and I think you’ll love it, Ace!”). Meanwhile, Marina, secured in her car seat, played with her kitten plushie (Kotatsu, she called it), Ace sitting next to her in the back (just like old times).

“So we’ll go furniture, clothes, toiletries then groceries,” Sabo said, looking at his list as Marco hoisted Marina into the cart seat. “Ace, if you need anything don’t hesitate.”

_‘Oh I will,_ ’ Ace wanted to say, but the words didn’t come out.

Since it was Saturday, it was undoubtedly busy in the store. Sure, Ace had gone shopping in the past five years, but he had forgotten what the hustle and bustle of a weekend shopping trip was like: cart wheels rattling against the ground as people pushed towards their destinations, mothers clutching their children's hands as they contemplated the best deals on milk and eggs, long lines as old grannies argued with cashiers. It wasn’t exactly the best experience, but it there was something comforting about this familiarity.

“Are just wall shelves okay?” Marco asked, gesturing to a box. The image on the outside displayed three simple, wall-mounted shelves. “I can help you put them up later.”

The image almost made Ace blush: the summer heat making Marco sweat as Ace stared at his muscular back, Marco nailing-

A record scratch ran through his head when he remembered that the house was quite well air conditioned. “Yeah, those are good,” Ace answered, tucking the image away into the back of his mind. “I don’t have too much anyways.”

Next, Marina needed some clothes for later at Pop’s house. “We need something cute and casual. You know it’s never anything fancy.”

_“You’re getting a welcome back party whether you want it or not!”_ Haruta exclaimed indignantly over the phone when Ace officially announced his return, Pops laughing in the background. Then Thatch began to rattle off a list of what he would need for the inevitable feast that he would have to cook up, making sure to ask Ace if there was anything in particular that he wanted.

The children’s clothes section felt like a completely different world to Ace, though he was pretty sure that Marco and Sabo were used to it already. Still, it wasn’t ever a place Ace realistically thought he would ever find himself in.

Ace glanced at the rack and picked up a little denim dress with strawberry patch on the front. Would she wear something like this? he wondered. He suddenly felt Sabo’s hand on his shoulder. “Looks perfect, Ace,” he said. “Marina, what do you think of this?”

She looked up at them with wide eyes and quietly said, “I...I like the strawberry.”

And so it landed in the cart.

Ace had already dumped his deodorant, shampoo, and and conditioner into the cart (shame they didn’t carry the kind that he used to use), so it was time for groceries, which was a trial. Now that Ace was living with them, they had to double up on the amount of food they were buying. He couldn’t help biting his lip when he saw how much was piling up. He could only imagine how much that they were spending on him.

“Ace, we already buy a lot of food,” Sabo said, as if he were reading Ace’s mind. Ace hated when he did that. “Don’t worry about it.”

Even though he said that, Ace’s mind didn’t stop.

If there was one thing that Ace hadn’t missed about Raftel, it was the line at checkout on Saturday. He felt awkward just staring at the magazine rack as Marco and Sabo reread the list and checked the cart, all of them waiting for the mother in front of them to stop arguing with the cashier.

When he started to hear sniffling, Ace frowned. Was Marina crying? Kids did that all the time though, right? Still the curiosity got the better of him and he turned around to see why.

Her hands were empty, no longer clutching her kitty plush.

She seemed to be holding together enough not to be too noticeable (Sabo and Marco were busy trying to mediate between the poor cashier and this harpy), but the corners of her mouth her shaking and her eyes wet.

Ace acted before he thought. “I’m going to the bathroom real quick!” he called to Sabo and Marco before dashing off. They had only been to a few parts of the store, so hopefully the search wouldn’t be too bad. Of course the orange tabby kitty plush would be located near the strawberry dresses. It was a handmade toy, and Ace would recognize one of Izo’s creations anywhere. Thankfully, a certain responsible parents had also tied on an address tag in case it ever got lost.

Marco was already paying for everything by the time Ace got back and shoved Kotatsu into Marina’s hands.

“Wait. Did she drop that?” Sabo asked, loading a gallon of milk onto the conveyor belt.

“Back at the dresses.”

“Well, thank god you noticed.” He sighed in relief. “Marina, what do we say to uncle Ace?”

Marina hugged her precious toy close to her chest before turning to Ace with a smile. “Th-thank you!”

Ace felt the bitterness of the past few days melt just a teensy bit.

* * *

“Do you want to go in ahead, Ace?” Sabo asked.

Head rested against the car window, Ace stared up at the mansion in front of him: Pop’s house. Of course, the sculpted hedges had changed from five years ago, but it was still, the elephant shapes were impressive (no doubt Vista’s work).

Ace’s heart was still pounding away. He hadn’t seen anyone from the family in so long, and video calls didn’t quite cut it for anyone. Seeing the mansion in front of him made him warm. Finally, this was home.

“Are you sure?” He looked over at Marina, who was still snoozing away in her car seat, a tiny line of drool trailing down her chin. “I mean, you’d all have to walk…”

“Don’t worry about it, Ace,” Marco said. “We still need to wake up Marina and besides,” he pointed to the front door, where Haruta was already waiting, “I’m pretty sure everyone wants to see you first.”

He should have expected Haruta to tackle him as soon as Marco pulled away to go park the car. “Ace, you asshole!” he yelled, and Ace was unable to avoid knuckles grinding into his scalp. “Come home sooner!”

“Oi! I’m here! I’m here!” Ace complained, expression betraying him as he grinned, hoisting Haruta into a piggyback.

“Indeed you are,” Izo, who had decided to step out as well, chimed. Carrying Haruta with him, Ace walked up and waited for a hug. Izo whacked his forehead instead.

“Ow!”

“Serves you right,” Haruta said. “This is your punishment for being away for so long!”

“So I leave for five years and get this as my welcome back present?”

“Well you should have called more, so it’s really your own fault.” But despite Izo’s words, he still smiled soon after and hugged Ace anyways. “Welcome home.”

“Thanks. Thatch didn’t want to come out?”

“He finishing up your feast. Now come on in.”

They started to hear yells from inside for Ace to come in, and he finally stumbled over the familiar threshold into the arms of his brothers and sisters. “Ace!” They yelled, and suddenly everyone had crowded around him- not that he was sure who was who when he was squashed into a group hug.

“Ace, you asshole!”

“You better have presents for us!”

“Ace, my love!”

“Thatch, weren’t you still cooking?”

The commotion suddenly began to die down at the sound of a deep laugh. The suffocating- yet warm- hug parted to reveal the kind eyes that Ace had missed so much. Pops opened his arms for Ace. “Welcome home, my son.”

“It’s good to be back, Pops.” Ace could have cried. Such a comforting presence that he had missed for so long.

“Can you give us a moment alone?” Whitebeard asked.  There were a few protests and groans, but everyone shuffled towards the dining room anyways as everyone argued who Ace would sit next to..

While it was nice to be with Pops, there was something that didn’t seem quite right. He knew that it had been much too long since he had been with any of them, but he hadn’t been prepared to face Pops alone.

“You know, son, you could have just come to me to talk about things.”

“I know.” Ace’s hands were shaking as he shoved them into his pockets. He just hoped Pops hadn’t noticed. “I just…. I needed to get away for a bit.”

“And yet you still seem to have a lot on your mind,” he said. “We are here for you, Ace.”

Ace was unable to argue with him, and all throughout the night- throughout the party for _him_ \- he couldn’t stop thinking about what Pops said. Maybe those thoughts would always be looming behind him, and he would run from them just as he did five years ago.


End file.
